The complete guide to roleplay in WoW

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. In World of Warcraft, that player is you! Each week, Anne Stickney brings you All the World's a Stage with helpful hints, tips and tricks on the art of roleplay in WoW.
This column began way back in September of 2007. Over the course of the last six-ish years or so we've dived into the depths of character development, roleplay interaction, places to roleplay, problems that can arise in roleplay, the basics of character roleplay -- in fact, we've just about covered it all. Multiple times, from multiple sources, in fact. And although the art of roleplay lives on, there's only so many times you can word the same advice.
That said, this is the final edition of All the World's a Stage. Before you panic, we've decided to put together a final gift for you; a mass compilation of six-ish years worth of columns, resources and advice covering everything from the very basic of the basics to the most complex situations your mind could dream up. Whether you're a new roleplayer looking for the best place to start out, an experienced roleplayer looking for more insight into just what makes your character tick, or a guild leader looking for a mass list of resources for your guild or organization, we've totally got you covered.

Roleplaying basics
Whether just starting out or returning from a long hiatus, these articles covering the basics should get you started in the right direction.
- 5 things new roleplayers need to know
- 3 things to remember when encountering new roleplayers
- The top 5 misconceptions about WoW roleplaying
- Getting started with roleplaying
- Choosing sides
- Roleplay-appropriate names
- Common name conventions for Warcraft races
- Creating Pandaren names for roleplay
- 3 basics of roleplay interaction
- How to write a roleplay description that pops
- How to assemble a character history
- How to find a roleplaying guild
- Making friends with roleplay
- Roleplay addons for the beginner: MyRoleplay / FlagRSP
- WTF is IC-OOC? WTB RP! OK THX, CU L8R
- A little help from my friends
- The ten commandments of roleplaying
- Finding the right realm
- Joining the right circle
- Out of character
- When is it OK to drop character?
- Roleplaying for the first time
- A rose by any name
- Roleplaying 101
- The basic mechanics of roleplay
- Roleplay addons
- Getting back into roleplay

Classes, races and roles
Want to know what age to make your character, or what they've seen in their lifetime? Or maybe you're interested in the history of your character's race, or how their class affects who they are. Maybe you want to know how to play a pandaren, or how to make your profession work with your roleplay. Check out this wealth of resource information for just about everything you could want to know about the history of your character.
- Timelines and roleplay: Humans, Worgen and Forsaken / Elves / Orcs / Draenei / Dwarves and gnomes / Tauren / Trolls
- Plot points for races in roleplay: Forsaken / Night elves / Blood elves / Draenei / Tauren / Worgen / Troll / Dwarf / Goblin / Gnome / Orc / Human / Pandaren
- Plot points for organizations in roleplay: Blood Knights / Argent Crusaders / Cenarion Circle druids / Kirin Tor mages / The Ebon Blade /
- Class roleplay and characterization: Warrior / Rogue / Paladin / Shaman / Druid / Hunter / Mage / Death Knight / Warlock / Priest / Monk
- Pandaren roleplay characters
- Pandaren roleplay 1-85 / 85-90
- Playing the villain
- Heroism and roleplay
- Roleplaying the comedian
- Roleplaying the antihero / Part 2
- Roleplaying the wolf
- So you want to be a human /orc / troll / dwarf / gnome / tauren / night elf / draenei / Forsaken / blood elf / worgen / goblin
- So you want to be an Alliance warrior / Horde warrior / Paladin / Warlock / Mage / Priest / Death Knight / Druid / Shaman / Rogue / Hunter
- So you want to be an Alchemist / Tailor / Miner / Herbalist / Skinner / Enchanter / Blacksmith / Jewelcrafter / Leatherworker / Engineer / Scribe
- So you want to be a bad guy / possessed / disposable villain / shadowy villain

Character development
Roleplaying a character isn't just using that in-game model as a puppet. Use these guides to dig a little deeper into that character you've made and define the finer points of who they are, what they've done, and how they live their life.
- Memories and moments in time
- Sealed with a KISS
- What does your character know?
- What's my motivation?
- Roleplaying with disadvantages
- Roleplaying fashion
- Help your roleplay along with a character questionnaire
- Reconciling faction disloyalty in roleplay
- Dual-class characters
- Something to remember me by
- Roleplaying with class, part one, part two
- Authentic class
- Inspiration
- Wearing the right mask
- Background story
- Descriptions done right
- Character diamonds
- Adding flesh to your character
- The surface layer
- The inside layer
- The core layer
- Your character soundtrack
- Realistic touches to an unrealistic person
- Name your sin
- Ending your character
- What's a good story?

Scenarios and locations
Now that you've got a character, where do you go and what do you do? Take a look at everything from cool locations around the world of Warcraft to fun activites you, your friends or your guild can enjoy.
- Roleplaying in Pandaria: the basics
- Roleplaying the mundane: Alliance / Horde
- 5 great spots for group roleplay / Pandaria edition / Alliance and Horde locations
- Hidden hangouts of Pandaria
- Vacation getaway locations: Kalimdor / Eastern Kingdoms / Outland / Pandaria
- Villain lairs: Kalimdor / Eastern Kingdoms / Outland
- Roleplaying groups, governments and organizations
- Noble houses and nobility in roleplay
- Roleplaying a race change
- Romance and weddings in roleplay
- The importance of public roleplay
- Roleplaying Theramore's loss
- Top 10 ways to roleplay the holidays
- Hallow's End and You
- Hosting your own roleplay event
- Going to the chapel
- The guild hall
- Guild themes
- Location, location, location
- Gift-giving in Azeroth
- What's love got to do with it?
- Forming a roleplay troupe
- Throwing a bachelor party in Azeroth
- Effectively roleplaying grief
- Robot Devil tells you how to portray emotion
- One night to roleplay
- Top 10 RP hotspots in Cataclysm
- 4 stories for starting an adventuring party

Sticky situations
Roleplay is not without its drama. But these guides should help you handle some of the stickier situations that arise in roleplay, whether it's interacting with others, problems with character development, or just coming to terms with some of the inner emotional aspects of roleplaying.
- When you just can't find the roleplay
- How to keep your realm's roleplaying alive
- Getting emotional about roleplaying
- 3 red flags that your roleplay is getting out of hand
- Handling style conflicts
- Players taking breaks from roleplay
- When roleplayers quit
- Gender and roleplaying
- When lore and roleplay collide
- So Sue me -- Mary Sues and roleplay
- Godmodding and how to avoid it
- Half-breeds and roleplay
- Resolving quests and roleplay
- Time for a roleplaying reboot
- Keeping roleplay fresh in the face of a new expansion
- The trials and tribulations of being a raiding roleplayer
- Finding the line betwen you and your character
- Yes, and ... ?
- Drawing the line on ERP
- It's not just about sexy butts
- A question of continuity
- Turning stumbling blocks into stepping stones
- RP-PvP: Killing in character
- The past, present, and future of roleplaying
- Free your mind
- RP on a non-RP server
- Pros and cons of total-immersion RP
- Delicate subjects, handle with care
- Anonymosity
- Intimate relationships between characters
- Getting too attached to a character
- Maintaining your barriers
- 4 ways you know you've jumped the shark
- Cheating and the IC versus OOC divide
- The limits of your character knowledge
So please, by all means feel free to use this list for your own -- but if you happen across a roleplayer who needs a little guidance, point them here. If you'd like a resource guide for your roleplaying guild, feel free to link here. We've spent six years combing over the finer points of roleplay, and the biggest thank you we could get would be to see that information shared and passed on.
Remember, the key to keeping roleplay alive is participation. Keep up your roleplay, and encourage others to join in the fun. Thanks for reading, it's certainly been a pleasure writing for you.
Filed under: RP, All the World's a Stage (Roleplaying)





